The present invention, Colocasia ‘Dragon Heart’, relates to a new and distinct interspecific hybrid of Colocasia, hereinafter referred to by its cultivar name, ‘Dragon Heart’. ‘Dragon Heart’ is a new tropical plant used as a landscape and container plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
The new cultivar was derived from a controlled breeding program conducted by the Inventor at his nursery in Louisville, Ky. The overall purpose of the breeding program is to make selections of Colocasia plants that are unique with large leaves and vigorous growth habits. ‘Dragon Heart’ arose from a cross make in June of 2010 between an unnamed plant of a Colocasia of hybrid origin from the Inventor's breeding program as the female parent and an unnamed plant of Colocasia gigantea as the male parent. ‘Dragon Heart’ was selected as a single unique plant in June of 2013 from amongst the seedlings derived from the above cross.
Asexual propagation of the new cultivar was first accomplished by in vitro propagation under the direction of the Inventor in Eustis, Fla. in November of 2013. Asexual propagation by in vitro propagation has shown that the characteristics of the new cultivar are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.